Published: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 12:12 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 4:32 p.m.

THOMASVILLE | A building that housed two businesses is a total loss after a fire on National Highway late Monday night.

Firefighters with the Thomasville Fire Department were dispatched to a fire at 1100-A National Highway at 11:59 p.m.

Kevin Tolson, the battalion chief who was in command of the fire scene, said firefighters arrived to find fire coming through the roof. The firefighters, the battalion chief said, went into a defensive mode.

Tolson said everything was a total loss in the building. He estimated the 1,800-square-foot building, owned by Robert Reid Properties, to be valued at $150,000 and contents inside the structure valued at $125,000.

Tuesday morning, several vehicles that were scorched could be seen inside the building, which was used by a general contractor on one end and a home improvement business on the other.

“I'm definitely in shock and devastated about what happened,” Richard Baldwin, the owner of the home improvement business, said at the fire scene. “I basically lost all the equipment, everything I had — mowers, sprayers.”

The fire is under investigation by Thomasville Fire Marshal Rocky Watts.

Watts said the damage has made it difficult to find the direct cause of the fire. He said the building is an older one that could have had electrical problems. Watts said there also was a wood heater in the building that possibly could have sparked combustible materials in the structure to ignite.

“We do think it’s accidental, but not sure on the cause,” Watts said. “… There is a general area we are looking at it.”

Watts said Tuesday afternoon that he did all of the fire investigating he could do at the scene. However, he still had interviews to conduct, particularly trying to find the last person who was in the building.

Farzan Nasir, the manager of the Exxon at 1102 National Highway, said her convenience store was “very lucky” not to have been a victim of the fire as well. The Exxon is located a short distance away from the building that was destroyed.

Tolson said he had one fire truck dedicated to preventing a fire at the Exxon, and his other fire trucks were dedicated to the working fire. He said the main body of the fire was extinguished by 12:30 a.m., and firefighters cleared the scene about 3 a.m.

No injuries were reported, and it was unclear Tuesday morning whether the building was insured.

Three TFD stations worked the fire, and the Hasty and Fair Grove volunteer fire departments were on standby with full crews in case they were needed to handle calls in Thomasville. Davidson County Emergency Medical Services and the Thomasville Police Department assisted at the scene.

Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 217, or at darrick.ignasiak@the-dispatch.com.

<p>THOMASVILLE | A building that housed two businesses is a total loss after a fire on National Highway late Monday night.</p><p>Firefighters with the Thomasville Fire Department were dispatched to a fire at 1100-A National Highway at 11:59 p.m.</p><p>Kevin Tolson, the battalion chief who was in command of the fire scene, said firefighters arrived to find fire coming through the roof. The firefighters, the battalion chief said, went into a defensive mode.</p><p>Tolson said everything was a total loss in the building. He estimated the 1,800-square-foot building, owned by Robert Reid Properties, to be valued at $150,000 and contents inside the structure valued at $125,000.</p><p>Tuesday morning, several vehicles that were scorched could be seen inside the building, which was used by a general contractor on one end and a home improvement business on the other.</p><p>“I'm definitely in shock and devastated about what happened,” Richard Baldwin, the owner of the home improvement business, said at the fire scene. “I basically lost all the equipment, everything I had — mowers, sprayers.”</p><p>The fire is under investigation by Thomasville Fire Marshal Rocky Watts.</p><p>Watts said the damage has made it difficult to find the direct cause of the fire. He said the building is an older one that could have had electrical problems. Watts said there also was a wood heater in the building that possibly could have sparked combustible materials in the structure to ignite.</p><p>“We do think it's accidental, but not sure on the cause,” Watts said. “… There is a general area we are looking at it.”</p><p>Watts said Tuesday afternoon that he did all of the fire investigating he could do at the scene. However, he still had interviews to conduct, particularly trying to find the last person who was in the building.</p><p>Farzan Nasir, the manager of the Exxon at 1102 National Highway, said her convenience store was “very lucky” not to have been a victim of the fire as well. The Exxon is located a short distance away from the building that was destroyed.</p><p>Tolson said he had one fire truck dedicated to preventing a fire at the Exxon, and his other fire trucks were dedicated to the working fire. He said the main body of the fire was extinguished by 12:30 a.m., and firefighters cleared the scene about 3 a.m.</p><p>No injuries were reported, and it was unclear Tuesday morning whether the building was insured.</p><p>Three TFD stations worked the fire, and the Hasty and Fair Grove volunteer fire departments were on standby with full crews in case they were needed to handle calls in Thomasville. Davidson County Emergency Medical Services and the Thomasville Police Department assisted at the scene.</p><p>Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 217, or at darrick.ignasiak@the-dispatch.com.</p>